Electric radiant floor heating systems are known and a typical one of these systems is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,332 issued on Nov. 7, 1989 to Infloor Inc. These systems comprise a plurality of cable retaining strips which are secured to a sub-floor surface whereby to support a resistance heating cable along a serpentine path and spaced above the top surface of the sub-floor. Once the cable is installed, a cementitious slurry is then poured over the sub-floor whereby to embed the resistance heating cable into the cement layer. Resistance heating cables are today covered with a suitable insulation material whereby to protect the resistive wire and therefore the cable can lie on the top surface of the sub-floor.
There are several disadvantages with known systems and a main one is the time required to install the cable. The cable needs to be properly disposed along a predetermined serpentine arrangement over the sub-floor and properly anchored to prevent displacement and damage thereof when the cementitious product is poured thereover. The cementitious slurries may shrink and crack during its curing cycle and thus tends to disrupt the heating cable which could cause a rupture thereof rendering the system ineffective. Some known systems utilize anchoring metal strips which pinch the heating cable and any shifting of the cable during curing of the slurry can cause a cable rupture at its anchor point with the support members.
There is therefore a need to provide a system which utilizes cable guide strips for retaining and guiding the heating cable along a serpentine path and which is inexpensive, easy to install and secure the cable thereto, flexible, and reliable and which permits the installation to be effected very quickly thereby reducing the labour cost.